1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an information processing apparatus, and recorded materials obtained by recording using these apparatuses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
(1) So far the following methods of detecting the presence or absence of ink in a recording head (hereinafter referred to as the head) have been proposed in recording devices of the ink jet type, for example, recording devices using the head for ejecting ink by causing a change in condition to the ink by use of thermal energy. One of the methods is to have a means for detecting the temperature of the head, use the temperature detection means in detecting the difference between the temperature before the heater of the head is heated and the temperature after the heater of the head is heated, judge the ink to be present if the temperature difference is smaller than the predetermined value, or judge the ink to be absent if the temperature difference is greater than the predetermined value. This method is based on the fact that the heat capacity of the head becomes large in the presence of the ink, and becomes small in the absence of the ink. Another method comprises providing a pressure sensor in the passage for feeding ink, and judging ink to be present if the value of the pressure sensor is greater than the predetermined value, and ink to be absent if the value of the pressure sensor is lower than the predetermined value. Other methods under consideration rely on the weight of the ink cartridge, the electrical resistance or electrical capacity of the ink, or the transmission of light beams through an optical sensor. These methods make it possible to judge ink to be present in the ink cartridge of the head or ink to be supplied to the head.
(2) That surface of the head which constitutes the ink ejection orifice, namely the ejection surface, is normally vertical, and that portion of the recording sheet which is to be recorded by the head is also vertical. Thus, the recording sheet portion after recording is discharged vertically.
The conventional example (1), however, has the following drawbacks:
Originally, the weakness of the recording device of the ink jet type lies in the clogging of the nozzle due to the drying of the ink or the formation of air bubbles in the nozzle, leading to a failure in ink ejection. This phenomenon may occur from the beginning of recording or during recording.
To overcome this weakness, various countermeasures have been worked out, and perfect measures that permit recovery actions in case of clogging have been proposed. However, complete measures capable of preventing clogging have yet to be established.
As a result, even if the ink presence or absence detection means judges ink to be present, there may be cases in which recording is not done once clogging has happened.
If a recording device of the ink jet type is used as one for facsimile, the following trouble may happen: When data is received based on the judgment of ink presence, a recording action is performed, and a confirmation of reception completed is made to the transmitter, no images are recorded on the recording sheet or images are not recorded halfway in the page, once clogging has occurred. In such cases, fatal troubles arise in which the transmitter believes communication to have been completed normally and the contents of the original to have been transmitted, whereas the receiver has not received normal recordings.
In short, the conventional methods are not enough to detect completely whether the reception and recording of information via the facsimile apparatus have been performed normally.
With the conventional example (2), when the recording medium after recording is discharged vertically, it is not definitely known whether it will fall on the discharge tray side or on the opposite side. If it has fallen on the opposite side, the operator has to bring it onto the discharge tray side, which is quite tiresome. It is possible to provide a conveyor path to make the recording medium after recording fall on the discharge tray side. The providing the conveyor path, however, makes the device become complicated and scaled up. In this case, further, it is fear that the recording medium just after recording is curved to touch the ink ejection orifice. Furthermore, there is fear to stain non-recording region of the recording medium with un-dried ink due to the contact between a device such as rollers for conveying the recording medium in the conveyor path and the recording medium just after recording which has the un-dried ink on its surface. These are troublesome.